Mike Johnson wins his toughest battle yet – and shows he’s here to stay - ANALYSIS: The House speaker proves that no one can do it like him, writes John Bowden

House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) took a victory lap in a speech Thursday in which he cheered President Donald Trump for his leadership. Meanwhile, the bill he's so excited about still must pass the Senate — and things aren't looking good.

The speaker spent months keeping flare-ups from growing into a conflagration even Donald Trump couldn’t extinguish.

The House passed the “one big, beautiful” reconciliation bill advancing President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda Thursday, paving the way for the Senate to deal a crushing blow to former President Joe Biden’s climate bill and Democrats’ green energy agenda.

With last-minute concessions and stark warnings from Trump, the Republican holdouts largely dropped their opposition to salvage the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that’s central to the GOP agenda. The House launched debate before midnight and by dawn the vote was called, 215-214, with Democrats staunchly opposed. It next goes to the Senate.